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Given  by: 

Dorothy  G.  Wayman 
14  Chestnut  Place 
Jamaica  Plain  30,  Mass. 

Some  Fragments  of  Ancient 

Masonic  Lectures  came  to  me 
in  the  estate  of  my  father 
Charles  W.  Godfrey  (1869- 
1942)  who  was  a  member  of 
Aurora  Lodge  A.F.&A.M. 
Thomas  Royal  Arch  Chapter-- 
Grand  Lodge  of  Massachu¬ 
setts,  Jerusalem  Commandery, 
Knights  Templar. 


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* 


THE  RAISING  OF  TIIE  MASTER 


ROSEMARY  PRESS  BROCHURES 

SOME  FRAGMENTS 

OF 

ANCIENT  MASONIC  LECTURES 

With  an  Introduction 
“On  Joining  the  Masons” 

BY 

CHARLES  DANA  BURRAGE. 


Notes  abstracted  by  R.  E.  Edwin  S.  Crandon,  P.  D.  G.  H.  P. 


Rosemary 
^  Press 


Privately  printed  by  the  Rosemary  Press  for  the  use  of 

Members  of  the  Order  of  High  Priesthood 

1923 


H£ 

3  7J 

'  C7 


Copyright  1923 
by  Rosemary  Press. 


213292 


DEDICATED 


to  the 


MASSACHUSETTS  CONVENTION  OF  HIGH  PRIESTS 

of  the 


ORDER  OF  HIGH  PRIESTHOOD 


And  also 
To  the  memory  of 

THE  LATE  M.*.  E.-.  WARREN  BARTLETT  ELLIS 

Who  was  for  thirty  years  (1892-1922)  Excellent  President 
of  the  Order ;  who  was  also  a  Past  Grand  High  Priest  of  the  Grand 
Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  Massachusetts ;  the  founder  and  for  many 
years  Editor  of  the  New  England  Craftsman ;  a  man  of  the  highest 
integrity,  of  simple  tastes  and  most  lovable ;  a  devoted  Mason  and 
Masonic  student. 


ON  JOINING  THE  MASONS 


A  young  business  man,  finding  that  so  many  of  his  neighbors 
and  business  associates  were  Masons,  finally  hinted  to  a  close 
friend  that  he  would  like  to  join,  if  he  could.  He  knew  little  of 
the  institution,  in  fact  erroneously  called  it  an  Order;  had  often 
heard  it  was  very  ancient,  and  also  that  it  was  world-wide. 

But  his  knowledge  was  really  very  vague,  and  he  was  in¬ 
fluenced  more  by  local  opinion  than  he  realized. 

But,  after  the  usual  preliminaries  and  investigations,  he  was 
notified  to  be  present  at  the  Lodge  Hall  at  a  certain  hour,  and, 
of  course,  was  promptly  on  hand  at  the  appointed  time. 

As  he  waited,  his  thoughts  were  busy.  He  tried  to  recall  all 
he  had  ever  heard  about  Masons  and  Masonry,  but  found  there  was 
little,  after  all.  They  had  mysteries — he  wondered  whether  he 
would  find  the  ordeal  too  strenuous — he  wondered  if  they  would 
put  him  through  a  searching  oral  personal-character  examination 
before  the  whole  body,  and  hurriedly  reviewed  his  entire  life,  try¬ 
ing  to  recall  any  of  his  deeds  that  might  seem  to  be  lacking  in 
courage,  in  true  manliness,  in  integrity  or  in  honesty. 

He  recalled  the  faces  of  those  he  knew  to  be  members  of  that 
Lodge,  and  tried  to  read  into  these  mental  mirror  portraits  assur¬ 
ances  against  the  unknown  terrors  that  assailed  him. 

Doubts  troubled  him,  all  manner  of  imaginary  spectres  flitted 
across  his  brain,  he  trembled,  perspired,  grew  weak, — and  he  was 
called  to  prepare.  All  trembling  ceased,  all  doubts  disappeared; 
he  was  in  the  hands  of  friends,  and  he  had  no  fear. 

So  the  neophyte  passed  through  the  solemn  ceremonies  that 
attend  the  conferring  of  the  Entered  Apprentice  Degree  in  an¬ 
cient  Masonry.  As  he  sat  in  the  Lodge,  after  the  wrork  was  over, 
he  was  filled  with  rushing  tumultuous  thoughts.  Why  had  he  so 
long  delayed  in  seeking  admittance  to  so  wonderful  and  honorable 
an  institution;  why  had  he  not  realized,  without  waiting  for  the 
event  to  prove  it,  that  men  of  the  very  evident  high  moral  char¬ 
acter  who  composed  the  Lodge,  were  the  very  men  he  Had  always 


6 


wanted  to  know  better,  to  become  friendly  with,  to  be  associated 
with  for  helpful  influences. 

And  now  his  hand  was  eagerly,  warmly  grasped  by  all,  he 
was  welcomed  as  more  than  friend — as  brother!  The  miracle  of 
it  all!  The  warmth  of  the  brotherhood  ideal  so  openly  apparent 
to  his  soul,  the  unshackling  of  the  mind  fetters  he  had  been  wear¬ 
ing,  the  entrancing  vistas  of  future  pleasures  and  happy  associa¬ 
tions  opening  in  countless  directions  before  his  wondering  eyes, 
the  keen  appreciation  of  the  self  evident  truth  that  Masonry  was 
founded  upon  the  great  foundation  principles  of  love  for  his  fel¬ 
low  man  and  obedience  to  the  laws  of  God — all  swept  over  the 
cords  of  his  being  with  intense  liberating,  freedom-giving,  re¬ 
sounding  harmonies  that  searched  his  soul  to  its  depths. 

The  first  degree  is  the  one  that  makes  the  most  impression  up¬ 
on  the  candidate,  the  one  that  grips  his  soul,  that  is  always  remem¬ 
bered,  that  makes  him  eager  for  more,  and  sends  him  on  the  long 
journey  over  the  devious  and  widely  wandering  paths  that  lead  to 
knowledge  in  the  various  bodies  of  the  American  and  Scottish  Rites. 

He  will  see  beautiful  ceremonies,  magnificent  scenic  and  cos¬ 
tume  effects;  he  will  hear  gifted  orators  recall  the  ancient  glories 
of  the  histories  of  vanished  peoples;  he  will,  perhaps,  with  diligent 
study  and  after  long  years  of  heavy  labor,  sit  in  the  Oriental  Chair, 
designated  worthy  by  his  fellows,  and  called  to  teach  in  his  turn; 
but  he  will  never  forget  his  first  experiences  within  the  Lodge,  or 
lose  the  deep  cut  impression  of  the  lessons  taught. 

And,  as  he  attended  one  Lodge  meeting  after  another,  as  he 
passed  through  the  series  of  initiations  that  ended  with  his  being 
raised  a  full  free  and  accepted  Master  Mason,  he  found  no  lessen¬ 
ing  of  his  first  impressions  of  both  Masonry  and  Masons,  but  rather 
a  confirming  of  them  so  strongly,  so  whole  heartedly,  with  such  an 
absence  of  any  attempt  to  be  other  than  cordial,  friendly  and  hon¬ 
estly  glad  of  his  presence  and  personality,  that  he  abandoned  for¬ 
ever  all  doubts  and  misgivings,  and  freely,  willingly,  generously 
gave  of  his  time,  his  strength,  and  himself  to  the  service  of  the 
Craft.  The  more  appreciation  he  showed,  the  more  of  service  he 
gave,  the  more  he  lived  the  great  Masonic  principles  of  charity  and 
fraternity,  the  greater  the  return  that  came  to  him  in  wide  circles 
of  cherished  friends,  in  gripping  those  friends  to  him  with  bonds  of 
affection,  in  greater  breadth  of  soul-vision,  in  his  larger  measure  as 


7 


a  man  among  men.  He  found  the  greetings  of  his  brethren  so 
pleasant,  that  he  responded  more  freely,  and  thus  made  new 
friends  everywhere.  He  received  so  many  little  extra  courtesies 
that  they  warmed  his  very  soul,  and  made  him  a  better  man,  one 
more  thoughtful  of  others,  more  considerate,  more  tolerant.  As 
untold  thousands  before  him  have  learned,  he  found  that  the  more 
of  himself  he  gave  to  Masonry  the  greater  the  benefits  to  himself. 
This,  too,  in  proportion  as  such  service  was  unselfish,  and  self- 
sacrificing.  They  who  give  largely  of  themselves  win  the  hearts 
and  affections  of  their  brethren. 

To  be  called  by  the  unanimous  suffrages  of  one’s  brethren  to 
office  in  Masonry  is  an  honor,  and  to  accept  a  duty ;  but  to  seek  such 
office  unduly  or  out  of  turn,  or  by  displacing  any  one  merely  to 
make  room  for  oneself,  or  to  use  political  methods,  or  to  make  sharp 
contests  calling  for  electionering  and  its  consequent  disparage¬ 
ment  of  the  other  candidate  or  candidates,  is  not  true  Masonry,  and 
should  have  no  place  in  such  an  institution.  The  individual  should 
subordinate  himself  to  the  good  of  the  bodies  to  which  he  belongs. 
He  should  respond  to  no  call  that  is  not  practically  unanimous,  for 
if  he  steps  aside  the  brethren  are  almost  certain  to  unite  on  some 
one  with  substantial  unanimity.  That  the  other  is  a  weaker,  more 
pliable,  or  less  able  or  less  worthy  man  makes  no  difference;  it  is 
the  will  of  the  entire  body  as  a  whole  that  should  rule.  They  have 
the  right  to  prefer  the  inferior  man,  if  they  so  desire.  Personal 
ambitions  are  out  of  place.  Any  small  clique  in  any  Masonic  body 
can  always  prevent  the  advancement  of  any  particular  brother. 
In  Masonry,  however,  there  is  no  place  for  a  row  or  ignoble  scram¬ 
ble  for  office.  One  good  friend  declined  election  as  Senior  War¬ 
den  in  a  Commandery  because  one  adverse  vote  was  cast — an  ex¬ 
treme  view,  but  highly  laudable.  Another  Masonic  body,  however, 
recognized  his  worth  and  merit,  so  that  he  attained  high  rank.  Is 
it  any  honor  to  be  elected  to  Masonic  office  by  one  vote — and  that 
cast  by  yourself?  As  between  one  man  who  has  a  large  minority 
against  him,  and  another  who  would  be  chosen  by  a  practically  un¬ 
animous  vote,  there  should  be  no  question.  Therefore  it  follows 
that  there  is  no  absolute  right  of  succession  in  line.  A  brother 
should  gracefully  retire  if  any  considerable  objection  be  made  to 
his  continuing  in  line  or  advancing.  Forcing  an  obnoxious  officer 
forward  in  line  is  not  good  Masonry,  and  must  react  to  its  injury. 


8 


Always  remember  that  our  glorious  ancient  institution  is  greater 
than  any  mam  It  should  be  one ’s  proudest  privilege  to  serve,  even 
in  the  most  humble  capacity.  In  a  Democracy  the  man  of  greatest 
ability  is  not  always  chosen.  The  Athenians  became  so  weary  of 
hearing  Aristides  called  “the  Just,”  that  they  banished  him! 

Undue  ambition,  greed  for  place,  lust  for  power  and  self  ag¬ 
grandizement  are  not  unknown  in  Masonic  bodies,  but  they  are 
alien  to  its  spirit,  for  Masonry  is  greater  than  any  individual. 

Strike  from  the  rolls  all  record  of  the  largest,  most  flour¬ 
ishing  Masonic  organization  in  Massachusetts  today,  and  our  grand 
old  institution  would  go  on  its  way  unhindered  and  unchecked  by 
so  trifling  a  loss ;  nay  more,  erase  from  the  Masonic  map  all  trace 
of  our  glorious  and  honorable  Grand  Lodge,  with  its  more  than 
one  hundred  thousand  memberships,  and  in  the  vast  ocean  of 
Masonic  history  you  would,  after  a  few  centuries,  with  difficulty 
find  the  hole  made  by  the  dreadful  calamity.  Wipe  all  Masonic 
organizations  in  the  United  States  out  of  existence  and  Masonry 
would  still  survive.  How  insignificant,  therefore,  is  the  importance 
of  a  single  individual ;  how  potent  Masonry  as  a  whole.  For  Mason¬ 
ry  is  indeed  world-wide,  of  world  importance,  and  its  destinies  are 
not  irrevocably  involved  with  the  life  and  fortune  of  any  single 
country.  Today,  by  force  of  circumstances,  it  is  perhaps  largely 
Anglo  Saxon,  but  who  can  tell  what  may  be  concealed  in  the  womb 
of  Time? 

We  know  not  how  old  is  Masonry.  We  know  it  is  very  old; 
because  of  the  labors  of  Hughan  and  his  co-laborers  in  discovering 
so  many  early  manuscripts,  we  very  likely  know  much  more  of 
early  English  Lodges  than  was  known  a  hundred  years  ago.  There 
is  more  study  by  scholars;  a  franker  attitude  towards  the  outside 
world;  Masonic  libraries  are  larger,  more  numerous  and  the  books 
they  contain  more  available  to  the  Craft. 

Every  new  discovery  pushes  further  back  into  the  dim  and 
shadowy  past  the  probable  beginning  of  Masonry.  A  diary  found 
in  an  Edinburgh  attic  contained  a  chance  entry  “I  was  made  a 
Mason  in — Lodge  this  night”  which  date  was  a  full  hundred  years 
earlier  than  any  known  record  of  that  Lodge,  already  one  of  the 
oldest. 

As  castle  walls  are  pulled  down,  rolls  containing  ancient 
charges  drop  from  secret  recesses;  as  great  estates  are  divided  un- 


9 


der  after-war  burdens  of  taxes  and  maintenance,  great  libraries, 
jealously  preserved  for  centuries,  come  upon  the  market. 

The  rust-covered,  untouched,  long-sleeping  chests  stored  in 


the  Vatican  are  known  tn-aantain  thm1CgnHs  nf  manuscripts  that 
i™t  kora— Oparin  fnr  rrm™y  '^tnries^a  wealth  of  ancient 
classic  material  gathered  in  monasteries  during  the  Middle  Ages 
when  the  church,  almost  alone,  kept  the  fires  of  knowledge  burn¬ 
ing — alas!  so  fitfully  as  almost  to  let  them  die  out. 

Even  during  the  Great  War,  a  traveller  in  Syria  found  a  Mon¬ 
astery  in  a  lonely  desert  burning  for  fuel  rare  Greek  rolls  nearly 
two  thousand  years  old. 

Were  not  the  long  lost  caves  in  remote  Central  Asia,  “The 
caves  of  the  Thousand  Buddhas”  found  in  1906-8  by  Sir  Aurel 
Stein  ?  One  was  a  cave  sealed  up  for  fully  nine  hundred  years,  yet 
containing  a  room  full  of  ancient  rolls  stacked  like  cord  wood — 
occupying  500  cubic  feet  of  space.  Not  in  our  life  times  can  this 
tremendous  mass  be  read  and  studied  and  given  to  the  world. 

Pick  up  the  oldest  known  Masonic  manuscript — it  begins  by 
speaking  of  the  antiquity  of  Masonry,  even  as  we  say  it  today, 
and  yet  it  dates  to  the  13th  century. 

Even  while  this  brochure  is  in  press,  the  world  has  been 
startled  by  the  discovery,  by  an  expedition  under  the  Earl  of  Car- 
navon,  of  the  tomb  of  King  Tut-angkh-amen  at  ancient  Thebes, 
with  vast  treasure  of  gold  and  works  of  art,  and,  possibly  and  prob¬ 
ably,  many  inscriptions  and  papyri,  whose  historical  accounts 
would  be  exceedingly  important,  and  may  contain  new  records  of 
the  Jewish  Exodus.  The  treasure  is  valued  at  over  $40,000,000. 
This  King  reigned  as  Pharoah  over  Egypt  3200  years  ago.  With 
this  expedition,  the  American  Oriental  Society  is  associated 
through  the  presence  of  its  former  President,  Prof.  James  H. 
Breasted  of  the  University  of  Chicago.  The  picture  given  is  of  two 
of  the  daughters  at  ages  of  3  and  5,  of  Akhenaten,  King  or  Pharaoh 
of  Egypt,  the  first  recorded  pacifist.  Tut-angkh-amen,  himself  a 
son  of  Amenobis  III,  a  former  Pharaoh,  married  one  of  the  daugh¬ 
ters  of  Akhenaten.  The  picture  is  a  fragment  of  a  wall  painting  at 
the  palace  built  by  Akhenaten  at  Tell-el-Amarna  or  the  City  of  the 
Sun,  some  ten  miles  from  Thebes.  Akhenaten  did  not  believe  in 
shedding  blood,  so  saw  his  cities  sacked  by  barbarians,  his  people 
put  to  the  sword,  his  Empire,  the  greatest  in  the  world,  brought 


r 


v>  tA'-v 

Stub  !  ^  ^ 


10 


to  ruin,  while  he  dallied  in  his  new  pleasure  palace  at  his  City  of 
the  Sun.  Only  his  early  death  saved  the  Empire  from  immediate 
extinction. 

The  notice  of  the  meeting  of  the  Supreme  Grand  Royal  Arch 
Chapter  of  Scotland,  held  on  the  Vernal  Equinox,  March  21,  1921, 
carries  a  singular,  striking  and  most  interesting  drawing  in  sepia 
by  a  great  artist,  Guercino,  who  lived  1580-1666*.  This  drawing 
of  Guercino ’s,  entitled  the  “Raising  of  the  Master,”  is  the  earliest 
illustration  of  that  incident  that  has  been  discovered.  It  came 
from  the  collection  of  Lord  Aylesford.  The  following  interesting 
letter  to  Past  Deputy  Grand  High  Priest  Crandon  speaks  for 
itself — 

*  Guercino  da  Cento,  Italian  painter,  born  Cento,  duchy  of  Ferrara, 
1580;  died  Bologna,  1666.  His  proper  name  was  Giovanni  Francesco 
Barbieri,  and  he  was  called  Guercino  from  a  squint  in  his  eyes.  In  1621, 
having  already  acquired  renown  as  a  painter,  he  was  invited  by  Pope 
Gregory  XV.  to  Rome,  but  the  premature  death  of  this  pontiff  induced 
him  to  return  to  his  native  town  two  years  after.  About  1642  he  went 
to  Bologna,  where  Count  Aldovrandi  received  him  in  his  palace  and  en¬ 
tertained  him  with  the  most  magnificent  hospitality.  Guercino  adopted 
three  different  manners  of  painting,  the  first  in  imitation  of  Caravaggio, 
which  being  very  dark,  he  quitted  for  that  of  the  Caraccis,  and  latterly 
for  a  style  still  more  light  and  sketchy,  but  his  middle  style  is  his  best. 
He  painted  over  250  altar  pieces  and  large  historical  works,  beside 
frescoes.  His  chief  pictures  are  at  Rome.  The  most  celebrated  is  that 
of  the  “Martyrdom  of  Saint  Petronilla”  which  has  been  copied  in  mosaic 
to  adorn  one  of  the  panels  in  Saint  Peter’s  between  the  “Transfiguration” 
by  Raphael'  and  the  “Communion  of  Saint  Jerome”  by  Domenichino.  His 
other  chief  pictures  include  a  “Saint  Anthony”  at  Padua;  an  “Annuncia¬ 
tion”  at  Milan;  “Saint  Peter”  at  Modena;  “Cephalus  and  Procis”  and 
a  scene  from  the  “Pastor  Fido”  in  the  Dresden  gallery;  the  “Parting  of 
Priam  and  Hector”  at  Marseilles.  The  galleries  of  Bologna,  Florence 
and  Paris,  besides  some  of  those  of  England  and  Germany,  also  possess 
specimens  of  this  master. 

(The  Encyclopaedia  Americana, 

Vol.  13,  page  524;  edition  of  1919.) 


rm:  daughters  of  akiikyatkn 


.  1  .  . 

. 


•  V 


.  *•  **• 


IX 


—Copy —  .  ...... 

Supreme  Grand  Royal  Arch  Chapter  of  Scotland 

Royal  Arch  Chamber 
76  Queen  Street 

Edinburgh,  23rd  May,  1921 

Mr.  Edwin  S.  Crandon, 

6  Craigie  Circle, 

Cambridge  38, 

Dear  Companion  Crandon: 

I  have  just  received  your  letter  of  the  12th  and  it  is  a  pleas¬ 
ure  to  note  your  remarks  upon  the  valuable  etching  which  formed 
the  frontispiece  of  our  Vernal  Equinox  Proceedings  this  year.  It 
was  presented  to  Supreme  Grand  Chapter  by  Companion  Joseph 
Kent  Richardson,  an  artist  of  some  ability  who  for  a  time  was  also 
a  dealer  in  engravings  and  pictures.  It  came  from  the  collection  of 
a  noble  house  where  it  had  been  for  many  years  as  part  of  a  his¬ 
toric  collection,  but  the  exact  details  regarding  its  past  history  I 
am  not  personally  familiar  with  except  that  it  is  no  doubt  authen¬ 
tic.  It  is  now  framed  and  in  our  possession.  The  actual  engraving 
is  in  brown  sepia  and  measures  ten  inches  by  five  inches.  The 
reproduction  of  it  is  quite  a  faithful  copy. 

It  has  some  peculiar  features  about  it  in  omission  as  well  as 
in  the  details  which  are  given.  The  date  of  it  is  not  later  than 
1656. 

Being  an  engraving  there  might  possibly  be  other  copies  of 
it  extant,  but  Companion  Richardson  has  never  heard  of  any 
other  one. 

If  I  can  fish  out  anything  further  about  the  item  I  shall  let 
you  know,  but  as  you  are  aware,  very  valuable  things  turn  up  with¬ 
out  much  possibility  of  recovering  their  past  history.  In  fact, 
sometimes  the  past  history  is  purposely  suppressed. 

It  will  be  rather  interesting  to  you  to  know  that  our  Chapter 
at  Eyemouth,  called  “Land  o ’Cakes,”  was  the  one  in  which  Burns 
was  exalted  and,  in  all  probability,  received  his  Temple  degrees  as 
well,  because  these  were  given  along  with  the  Chapter  degrees  in 


12 


hia  time.  The  room  is  an  extremely  interesting  one,  just  on  the 
border  between  England  and  Scotland.  While  the  Cryptic  Coun¬ 
cil  is  chartered  from  Scotland,  the  original  Charter  of  the  Chapter 
itself  was  an  English  one. 

Faithfully  yours, 

'  (Signed)  ALFRED  A.  MURRAY, 

(Grand  Scribe  E) 

P.  S.  A  collection  of  the  front  pictures  of  our  Vernal  Equi¬ 
nox  Proceedings  is  becoming  quite  unique.  If  you  care  for  it,  I 
will  try  to  get  you  one. 

A.  MURRAY. 

In  the  loving,  devoted  service  that  we  all  of  us  owe  to  Masonry 
(for  there  are  few  indeed  who  have  not  derived  some  benefit  from 
their  membership,)  no  labor  should  be  too  severe,  no  burden  too 
heavy,  no  sacrifice  of  time,  strength  or  money  too  great.  To  us 
who  love  her  with  surpassing  love,  the  love  that  grows  out  of  deep 
respect  and  admiration,  Masonry  stands  for  much  that  is  good 
and  honorable  and  praiseworthy  in  our  lives ;  for  the  grateful  tears 
and  answered  prayers  of  the  widowed  and  orphans;  for  heart- 
filled  thanks  and  gratitude  for  friendly  hands  held  out  to  assist 
one  over  the  rocky  roads  of  life ;  for  timely  aid  in  moral  and  finan¬ 
cial  crises;  for  helpful  warnings  and  kindly  words  at  moments  of 
temptation;  and  for  our  brethren’s  greetings  and  warm,  strength¬ 
ening,  encouraging  hand-clasps  at  all  times.  For  a  Mason ’s  watch¬ 
ful  care  never  ends,  it  is  responsive  as  well  in  the  city’s  crowded 
streets  at  noonday,  as  in  the  lonely  watches  of  the  night  by  the 
side  of  the  sick  and  needy;  it  is  nation-wide,  world  embracing. 
Masonry,  also,  as  a  potent  instrument  for  world  peace,  has  un¬ 
counted  victories  to  her  credit.  On  every  battlefield  her  sons  aid 
the  wounded  and  distressed,  her  signs,  mystic  and  warning,  turn 
aside  the  shafts  of  death  from  some  apparently  doomed  brother. 
In  silence  and  secrecy  are  deeds  of  charity,  self-sacrifice  and  true 
beneficence  wrought  in  her  name,  under  her  sacred  banners  of  blue 
— the  blue  of  the  deep  sea  and  the  heavens  above,  the  color  of  con¬ 
stancy,  signifying  Faith,  Hope  and  Charity — a  glorious  color  for 
our  ancient  Brotherhood  of  man  under  the  Fatherhood  of  God. 


13 


Out  of  desire  to  know  more  of  what  Masonry  meant  to  the 
fathers,  what  they  said  and  did,  and  what  forms  and  ceremonies 
were  used  by  them,  I  have  brought  together  from  various  old  books, 
and  from  various  sources  some  fragments  of  early  lectures  that 
have  come  down  to  us. 

They  are  so  unfamiliar,  so  entirely  different  from  anything 
in  our  manners  and  customs  of  today;  they  speak  so  vividly  of 
days  long  past,  and  bring  back  to  us  such  fragrant  memories  of 
great  Masons  who  long  ago  passed  beyond  the  veil  of  mortality, 
that  I  trust  my  presumption  in  collecting  together  these  scattered 
items  may  be  pardoned.  The  first  fragment,  a  broken  piece  of 
the  copest  one  of  the  Arch,  is  imputed  to  Sir  Christopher  Wren.* 

Note:  The  notes  on  Wren,  Desaguliers,  Anderson,  Dunckerly, 

Clare  and  Preston  are  abridged  from  Albert  G.  Mackey’s  “Encyclopae¬ 
dia  of  Freemasonry,”  1887. 

Sir  Christopher  Wren 

One  of  the  most  distinguished  architects  of  England  was  born  at 
East  Knoyle  in  Wiltshire,  20th  October,  1632,  his  father  being  Rector  of 
that  village.  Educated  at  Oxford,  he  removed  to  London  in  1657,  having 
been  elected  Professor  of  Astronomy  at  Gresham  College.  Soon  after 
the  restoration  of  Charles  II  he  was  appointed  Savillian  Professor  at 
Oxford  and  was  distinguished  for  numerous  contributions  to  astronomy 
and  mathematics.  In  1665  he  went  to  Paris  to  study  the  public  build¬ 
ings,  having  been  appointed  on  the  commission  to  rebuild  St.  Paul’s 
Cathedral.  After  the  great  fire  in  London,  in  1661,  he  directed  his  at¬ 
tention  to  the  restoration  of  the  burnt  part  of  the  city.  His  plans  not 
being  adopted,  he  directed  his  attention  to  rebuilding  particular  edi¬ 
fices,  and  was  appointed  Surveyor  General  and  Chief  Architect.  He 
built  many  churches,  the  Royal  Exchange,  Greenwich  Observatory  and 
many  other  public  buildings.  His  masterpiece  was  St.  Paul’s,  begun 
1675  and  finished  1710.  He  died  25th  February,  1723. 

His  connection  with  the  society  of  Freemasons  is  the  subject  of 
controversy.  Anderson  and  other  eighteenth  century  writers  assert  it, 
but  historical  confirmation  is  doubtful.  Mackey  says  that  there  can 
be  no  doubt  that  he  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  speculative  as  well  as 
in  the  operative  order.  Assertion  has  been  made  that  Sir  Christopher 
was  a  member  for  eighteen  years  of  the  old  Lodge  of  St.  Paul’s,  then 
held  at  the  Goose  and  Gridiron,  near  the  Cathedral,  now  the  Lodge  of 
Antiquity.  The  summing  up  of  Mackey  is:  “Wren  was  a  great  architect 
— the  greatest  at  the  time  in  England.  He  became  invested  by  virtue 
of  his  office  (Surveyor  General)  with  the  duty  of  superintending  the 


14 


construction  of  public  buildings.  The  most  important  of  these  was  St. 
Paul’s  Cathedral,  the  building  of  which  he  directed  in  person  and  with 
much  energy.  All  this  brought  him  into  close  connection  with  the  guild 
of  Freemasons,  of  which  he  naturally  became  the  patron,  and  subse¬ 
quently  he  was,  by  initiation,  adopted  into  the  sodality.  Wren  was,  in 
fact,  what  the  mediaeval  Masons  called  Magister  Operis,  or  Master  of 
the  Work.” 

Dr.  Mackey  places  much  weight  on  a  citation  by  Halliwell  in  his 
‘‘Early  History  of  Freemasonry  in  England”  from  Aubrey’s  “Natural  His¬ 
tory  of  Wiltshire,”  a  manuscript  in  the  library  of  the  Royal  Society,  as 
follows:  “This  day,  May  the  eighteenth,  being  Monday,  1691,  after  Roga¬ 
tion  Sunday,  is  a  great  convention  at  St.  Paul’s  Church  of  the  fraternity 
of  the  Adopted  Masons,  where  Sir  Christopher  Wren  is  to  be  adopted 
a  Brother,  and  Sir  Henry  Goodric  of  the  Tower,  and  divers  others. 
There  have  been  Kings  that  have  been  of  this  sodality.”  Mackey  con¬ 
cludes  that  Aubrey’s  authority,  which  is  generally  of  undoubted  anti¬ 
quarian  accuracy,  sufficiently  establishes  the  fact  that  Wren  was  a  Free¬ 
mason,  and  the  events  of  his  life  prove  his  attachment  to  the 
profession. 


1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 
8. 
9. 

10. 

11. 

12. 

13. 

14. 

15. 


Used  ~by  Sir  Christopher  Wren 

Very  ancient.  Fifteen  questions: 

What  o’clock  is  it? 

How  go  squares  ? 

Which  is  the  point  of  your  entry? 

How  many  particular  points  pertain  to  a  Freemason? 
How  many  proper  points? 

What  lodge  are  you  of? 

Where  is  the  Mason’s  point? 

Who  rules  and  governs  the  Lodge  as  its  Master? 

How  many  angles  in  St.  John’s  Lodge? 

How  many  steps  belong  to  a  right  Mason? 

Give  me  the  Solution  ? 

What  is  the  Jerusalem  Word? 

What  is  the  Universal  Word  ? 

What  is  the  right  word  or  right  point  of  a  Mason? 
“What  Lodge  are  you  of? 

The  Lodge  of  St.  John  at  Jerusalem. 

How  many  angles  in  St.  John’s  Lodge? 

Four,  bordering  on  squares. 

How  many  steps  belong  to  a  right  Mason? 

Three. 


15 


Give  me  the  solution. 

I  will  x  x  x  x  x  The  R.  W.  Master  and  W.  Fellows  of  the 
R.  W.  Lodge  from  whence  I  came  greet  you  well. 

Give  me  the  Jerusalem  Word. 

Give  me  the  points  of  your  entrance. 

Give  me  the  first  and  I  ’ll  give  you  the  second. 

I  hele  it. 

I  conceal  it. 

What  do  you  conceal  ? 

All  secrets  and  secrecy  of  Masons  and  Masonry,  unless 
to  a  true  and  lawful  brother,  after  due  examination,  in 
a  just  and  worshipful  Lodge  of  brothers  and  fellows  well 
met. 

Where  is  the  Master’s  point? 

At  the  East  Window  waiting  for  the  rising  of  the  sun  to 
set  his  men  at  work. 

Where  is  the  Warden’s  point? 

At  the  West  Window,  waiting  the  setting  of  the  sun  to 
dismiss  the  entered  apprentices. 

How  many  particular  points  appertain  to  a  free  and  accepted 
Mason  ? 

Three. 

Their  names? 

Fraternity,  Fidelity  and  Taciturnity. 

What  do  they  represent  ? 

Brotherly  Love,  Relief  and  Truth  among  all  right  Masons. 
At  your  initiation  how  were  you  apprised  of  your  solemn 
engagements  as  a  Mason? 

By  three  remarkable  points. 

Give  me  the  first. 

That  Masonry,  being  free,  requires  a  freedom  of  inclina¬ 
tion  from  every  candidate  for  its  mysteries. 

Explain  the  second. 

That  Freemasonry  is  founded  on  the  purest  principles  of 
virtue  and  philanthropy. 

Will  you  favor  me  with^he 

With  pleasure.  RiVWPsir.-^d  was  told  that,  in  order  to 
confine  its  privileges  to  worthy  men,  and  to  them  only, 
vows  of  fidelity  were  required,  guarded  by  a  proviso  that 
they  be  not  inconsistent  with  any  law,  human  or  divine. 


Square.  The  Junior  Warden  says — May  God’s  good  greeting 
be  to  this  our  happy  meeting,  from  the  right  worthy 
and  worshipful  brothers  and  fellows  of  the  holy 
Lodge  of  St.  John,  I  greet  you  well,  craving  your 
name. 

Upright  Level.  The  Senior  Warden.  May  God’s  good  greet¬ 
ing  be  to  this  and  our  next  happy  meeting,  from  the 
right  worthy  and  worshipful  brothers  and  fellows  of 
the  holy  Lodge  of  St.  John,  I  greet  you,  greet  you 
twice  heartily  welcome,  craving  your  name. 

Equal  Plumb-Rule.  The  R.  W.  Master.  May  God’s  good 
greeting  be  to  this  and  all  our  future  happy  meet¬ 
ings  from  the  right  worthy  and  worshipful  brothers 
and  fellows  of  the  holy  Lodge  of  St.  John,  I  also 
come  to  greet '  you,  greet  you,  greet  you  thrice  hear¬ 
tily  welcome,  craving  your  name. 

My  name  is  . And  brethren  by  the 

grace  of  God  I  greet  you  all  well. 


Used  by  London  Lodge  before  Union 

At  your  entrance  into  the  Lodge,  what  was  the  first  grand 
object  that  met  your  view? 

The  glorious  sun  emerging  from  darkness,  rising  in  the 
East  to  open  the  day,  and  diffusing  light,  life  and  sus¬ 
tenance  to  all  mankind. 

Through  what  medium  did  you  perceive  this  glorious 
luminary  ? 

Through  the  medium  of  the  R.  W.  Master,  when  placed 
in  the  East  to  open  the  Lodge,  and  diffusing  light,  knowl¬ 
edge  and  instruction  to  brethren. 

What  is  the  next  principal  object  that  struck  your  attention? 
The  sun  in  its  meridian  splendour  at  high  twelve,  when 
its  vertical  rays  are  most  powerful  and  the  cool  South 
the  most  pleasant.' 

Through  what  medium  did  this  manifestation  display  itself? 
Through  the  medium  of  the  Junior  Warden  placed  in  the 
South,  inviting  the  brethren  at  high  twelve  to  rest  and 


17 


regale  themselves,  returning  in  due  time  to  their  labours, 
that  profit  as  well  as  pleasure  may  be  the  result. 

And  what  was  the  third  and  last  object  of  your  view? 

The  Sun  setting  in  the  West,  and  inviting  all  nature  to 
repose. 

Through  what  medium  did  this  manifestation  display  itself? 
Through  the  medium  of  the  Senior  Warden  in  the  West, 
who  closes  the  Lodge  by  Command  of  the  R.  W.  Master, 
and  renders  to  every  brother  the  just  reward  of  his  merit. 
And  from  thence  we  draw  this  demonstrative  conclusion 
that  from  the  eye  of  a  contemplative  Mason  the  beauties 
of  the  starry  firmament  of  heaven  are  never  obscured. 

In  Form  Used  Before  the  Union 

“You  said  you  came  from  the  West — from  what  particular 
lodge  come  you? 

From  the  holy  Lodge  of  St.  John  at  Jerusalem. 

What  recommendation  have  you  brought  hence? 

A  recommendation  from  the  R.  W.  Master,  Wardens  and 
worthy  officers  and  brethren  of  that  right  worshipful 
and  holy  lodge,  who  greet  you  thrice  heartily. 

Desaguliers *  and  Anderson%  1717 

1.  I.  T.  B.  G.  C.  J.  H.  A.  T.  E. 

2.  What  is  the  place  of  the  Senior  apprentice? 

3.  What  are  the  fixed  lights? 

4.  How  ought  the  R.  W.  M.  to  be  served? 

5.  What  is  the  punishment  of  a  cowan  ? 

6.  What  is  the  bone-bone  box? 

7.  How  is  it  said  to  be  opened? 

8.  By  what  is  the  key  suspended? 

9.  What  is  the  proper  clothing  of  a  Mason? 

10.  What  is  a  Mason’s  brand? 

11.  How  high  was  the  door  of  the  Middle  Chamber? 

12.  What  does  this  stone  smell  of? 

13.  Can  you  tell  me  the  name  of  an  E.  A.  P.,  of  a  F.  C.,  and  of  a 

M.  M.? 

14.  H.  T.  W.  P.  0.  T.  T.  P.  0.  T.  T. 


IS 


*  The  Rev.  John  Theophilus  Desaguliers  was  born  12th  March,  1683, 
at  Rochelle,  France.  Mackey  says  that  of  those  who  were  engaged  in 
the  revival  of  Freemasonry  in  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
none  performed  a  more  important  part  than  he,  to  whom  may  be  well 
applied  the  epithet  of  the  Father  of  Modern  Speculative  Masonry.  He 
was  the  son  of  a  French  Protestant  clergyman,  who  removed  to  Eng¬ 
land  as  a  refugee  on  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  and  was 
educated  at  Oxford.  He  was  a  lecturer  on  experimental  philosophy, 
later  at  Westminster.  He  was  a  friend  of  Sir  Isaac  Newton  and  became 
a  fellow  of  the  Royal  Society.  He  took  clerical  orders  and  received  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws  from  Oxford,  1718.  He  continued  his  lectures 
all  his  life  and  contributed  freely  to  scientific  and  philosophical 
literature. 

Soon  after  his  arrival  in  London  he  was  made  a  Mason  in  the  lodge 
meeting  at  the  Goose  and  Gridiron  in  St.  Paul’s  Churchyard  which  sub- 
sequenty  took  the  name  of  the  Lodge  of  Antiquity.  He  is  said  to  have 
visited  Sir  Christopher  Wren  and  from  his  conversations  with  him  was 
induced  to  inaugurate  those  measures  which  led  in  1717  to  the  revival 
of  Freemasonry  in  the  South  of  England.  He  arranged  the  meeting  of 
the  four  London  lodges  at  the  Apple-Tree  Tavern  in  1717,  where  the 
Grand  Lodge  was  constituted.  In  Desaguliers  was  made  the  third 
Grand  Master,  the  first  having  been  Antony  Sayer  and  the  second  George 
Payne.  During  his  administration  several  of  the  older  brethren  resumed 
their  visits  to  the  lodges  and  many  noblemen  were  initiated  into  the 
Institution. 

Dr.  Desaguliers  was  particularly  zealous  in  the  investigation  and 
collection  of  the  old  records  of  the  society  and  to  him  we  are  princi¬ 
pally  indebted  for  the  preservation  of  the  “Charges  of  a  Freemason’’ 
and  the  preparation  of  the  “General  Regulations.”  After  his  retirement 
as  Grand  Master,  in  1720,  he  was  three  times  appointed  Deputy  Grand 
Master,  during  which  time  he  initiated  the  scheme  of  charity  subse¬ 
quently  developed  in  the  Grand  Lodge  of  England’s  Fund  of  Benevolence. 

He  presided  over  an  “occasional  lodge”  at  Kew  where  the  Prince  of 
Wales  was  entered,  passed  and  raised.  He  was  very  attentive  to  his 
Masonic  duties  and  punctual  in  his  attendance  on  the  communications 
of  the  Grand  Lodge,  his  last  appearance  recorded  being  19th  March, 
1741.  He  died  29th  February,  1744,  and  was  buried  in  the  Savoy.  Mackey 
says:  “To  him,  perhaps,  more  than  to  any  other  man,  are  we  indebted 
for  the  present  existence  of  Freemasonry  as  a  living  institution,  for 
when,  in  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century,  Masonry  had  fallen 
into  a  state  of  decadence  which  threatened  its  extinction,  it  was 
Desaguliers  who,  by  his  energy  and  enthusiasm,  infused  a  spirit  of  zeal 
into  his  contemporaries  which  culminated  in  the  revival  of  the  year  1717, 
•  and  it  was  his  learning  and  social  position  that  gave  a  standing  to  the 
Institution,  which  brought  to  its  support  noblemen  and  men  of  influence, 
so  that  the  insignificant  assemblage  of  four  London  lodges  at  the  Apple- 


i 


Tree  Tavern  ha9  expanded  into  an  association  which  now  overshadows 
the  entire  civilized  world.  And  the  moving  spirit  of  all  this  was  John 
Theophilus  Desaguliers.” 

§  The  Rev.  James  Anderson,  D.  D.,  was  born  at  Edinburgh,  Scot¬ 
land,  August  5th,  1684.  Removing  to  London  he  was  minister  of  the  Scot¬ 
tish  Presbyterian  Church  in  Swallow  street,  Piccadilly.  It  is  probable 
that  he  was  a  member  of  the  four  old  Lodges  of  London  which,  in  1717, 
organized  the  Grand  Lodge  of  England.  Four  years  later,  September 
29th,  1721,  he  was  commissioned  by  the  Grand  Lodge  to  collect  and  com¬ 
pile  the  history,  charges  and  regulations  of  the  Fraternity  from  the 
ancient  Constitutions  of  the  Lodges.  His  work  was  finished  December 
27th,  and  was  reported  upon  by  a  Committee  of  the  Grand  Lodge,  March 
25th,  1722,  when  it  was  formally  approved  and  ordered  to  be  printed, 
which  wras  done  in  1723.  This  is  now  the  well-known  “Book  of  Constitu¬ 
tions.”  A  second  edition  was  published  in  1738.  Mackey  says  that  the 
history  of  Masonry  in  Anderson’s  book  is  “fanciful,  unreliable  and  pre¬ 
tentious  to  a  degree  that  often  leads  to  absurdity.”  He  has  preserved 
for  us  the  ancient  charges  and  regulations.  In  his  second  edition  he 
made  several  important  alterations  and  interpolations  which  offended 
the  Grand  Lodge.  In  1730  he  published  “A  Defence  of  Masonry,”  the 
earliest  scholarly  discussion  of  the  character  of  the  Institution.  He  died 
May  28th,  1739. 

Where  do  you  keep  your  secrets? 

Under  my  left  breast. 

Have  you  any  key  to  those  secrets  ? 

I  have. 

Where  do  you  keep  it? 

In  a  bone-bone  box,  that  neither  opens  nor  shuts  without 

ivory  keys. 

Does  it  hang  or  does  it  lie? 

It  hangs. 

What  does  it  hang  by? 

A  tow  line,  nine  inches  or  a  span. 

What  metal  is  it  made  of? 

First  Appearance 

What  is  the  form  of  the  Lodge? 

A  long  square. 

How  long? 

From  East  to  West. 


20 


How  broad? 

Between  the  North  and  South. 

How  high? 

Inches,  feet  and  yards  innumerable,  as  high  as  the 
heavens. 

How  deep? 

To  the  centre  of  the  earth. 

As  Remodelled  by  Martin  Clare ,  *1730,  and  Approved  by  the 

Grand  Lodge 

1.  Whence  came  you? 

2.  Who  brought  you  here? 

3.  What  recommendation  do  you  bring? 

4.  Do  you  know  the  secrets  of  Masonry? 

5.  Where  do  you  keep  them? 

6.  Have  you  the  key? 

7.  Where  is  it  deposited? 

8.  When  you  were  made  a  Mason,  what  did  you  consider  most 

desirable  ? 

9.  What  is  the  name  of  your  Lodge? 

10.  Where  is  it  situated  ? 

11.  What  is  its  foundation? 

12.  How  did  you  enter  the  Temple  of  Solomon  ? 

13.  How  many  windows  did  you  see  there  ? 

14.  What  is  the  duty  of  the  youngest  apprentice? 

15.  Have  you  ever  worked  as  a  Mason? 

16.  What  did  you  work  with  ? 

17.  Salute  me  as  a  Mason  ? 

Number  3  lasted  10  years,  and  was  superseded  by  a  series 
of  Examination  questions  promulgated  by  Dr.  Manning- 
ham,  adopted  by  most  of  the  Metropolitan  and  several  of 
the  provincial  lodges. 

1.  Where  were  you  made  a  Mason  ? 

2.  What  did  you  learn  there? 

3.  How  do  you  hope  to  be  rewarded  ? 

4.  What  access  have  you  to  the  Grand  Lodge  ? 

5.  How  many  steps  ? 

6.  What  are  their  names? 

7.  How  many  qualifications  are  required  in  a  Mason? 


21 


8.  What  is  the  standard  of  a  Mason’s  faith? 

9.  What  is  the  standard  of  his  actions? 

10.  Can  you  name  the  peculiar  characteristics  of  a  Mason’s  Lodge. 

11.  What  is  the  interior  composed  of? 

12.  Why  are  we  termed  Brethren? 

13.  By  what  badge  is  a  Mason  distinguished? 

14.  To  what  do  the  reports  refer? 

15.  How  many  principal  points  are  there  in  Masonry? 

16.  To  what  do  they  refer? 

17.  Their  names? 

18.  The  allusion? 

*  Martin  Clare  was  a  man  of  some  distinction  in  literary  circles, 
being  a  Fellow  of  the  Royal  Society.  In  1732  he  was  appointed  by  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  England  to  revise  the  system  of  lectures  which  had  been 
prepared  by  Anderson  and  Desaguliers.  In  1735  he  was  appointed  Junior 
Grand  Warden  and  in  1741,  Deputy  Grand  Master.  He  made  several 
improvements  in  the  ritual,  translated  a  French  work  on  Masonic  his¬ 
tory  and  an  address  by  him  in  1735  before  the  Grand  Lodge  was  trans¬ 
lated  into  French  and  German.  His  lectures  were  a  great  improvement 
on  those  which  had  preceded  them  and  continued  to  be  a  standard  in 
England  until  superseded  about  1770  by  the  still  better  system  of 
Dunckerley. 


Dunckerley's  Tests* 

1.  How  ought  a  Mason  to  be  clothed? 

2.  When  were  you  born  ? 

3.  Where  were  you  born  ? 

4.  How  were  you  born  ? 

5.  Did  you  endure  the  brand  with  fortitude  and  patience? 

6.  The  situation  of  the  Lodge? 

7.  What  is  its  name? 

8.  With  what  have  you  worked  as  a  Mason? 

9.  Explain  the  sprig  of  Cassia? 

10.  How  old  are  you? 


22 


Dunckerley 

How  are  Masonic  secrets  acquired  ? 

By  the  help  of  a  key. 

Is  that  key  said  to  hang  or  lie  ? 

It  is  said  to  hang  and  not  to  lie. 

Why  so? 

Because  it  ought  always  to  hang  in  a  brother’s  defence,  and 
never  to  lie  to  his  prejudice. 

What  does  it  hang  by  ? 

The  thread  of  life  in  the  passage  of  entrance,  nine  inches  or 
a  span  long,  the  supposed  distance  between  the  Guttural 
and  the  pectoral. 

*  Thomas  Dunckerley 

“No  one,  among  the  Masons  of  England,”  says  Mackey,  “occupied  a 
more  distinguished  position  or  played  a  more  important  part  in  the 
labors  of  the  Craft  during  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  than 
Thomas  Dunckerley,  whose  private  life  was  as  romantic  as  his  Masonic 
was  honorable.” 

He  was  born  in  London,  23rd  October,  1724,  the  natural  son  of  the 
Prince  of  Wales,  afterwards  George  II.,  a  fact  of  which  he  was  ignorant 
until  after  his  mother’s  death  so  that  for  nearly  one-half  his  life  he  was 
in  very  humble  circumstances.  He  was  twenty-six  years  in  the  navy, 
returning  to  England  in  1760,  the  year  of  his  mother’s  death,  but  efforts 
to  secure  royal  recognition  were  unavailing  until  1767,  when  George  III., 
grandson  of  Dunckley’s  father,  granted  him  a  pension  and  suite  of 
apartments  at  Hampton  Court.  In  familiar  correspondence  and  in  his 
book-plates  he  used  the  name  of  “Fitz-George.”  He  studied  law  and 
was  called  to  the  bar,  but  never  made  much  progress  in  the  profession. 
He  died  in  1795,  his  last  years  embittered  by  the  misconduct  of  an  ex¬ 
travagant  and  dissolute  son. 

Dunckerley  was  received  into  Masonry  not  long  before  1757,  la 
which  year  he  delivered  an  address  at  Portsmouth  before  the  lodges 
there;  probably  he  was  initiated  in  one  of  the  Portsmouth  lodges  in  1755. 
In  this  address  or  charge  appears  a  prayer  written  by  Dunckerley  which, 
slightly  abridged,  has  ever  since  been  used  in  all  English  and  American 
lodges  at  initiation  of  a  candidate. 

Some  time  in  1766  or  1767  he  appears  to  have  been  elected  Master 
of  a  lodge,  and  In  the  latter  year  he  was  Provincial  Grand  Master  for 
Hampshire.  Soon  after  he  was  made  superintendent  of  the  lodges  in 
Dorsetshire,  Essex,  Gloucestershire,  Somersetshire  and  Hertfordshire. 
Some  years  after  the  Grand  Lodge  gave  him  the  rank  of  Past  Senior 


23 


Grand  Warden,  taking  position  next  the  incumbent  of  the  office  for  the 
time  being.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  Grand  Superintendent  and 
Past  Grand  Master  of  Royal  Arch  Masons  of  Bristol  and  several  coun¬ 
ties  and  Supreme  Grand  Master  of  the  Knights  of  Rosa  Crucis,  Templars 
and  Kadosh,  under  appointment  of  the  Prince  of  Wales,  the  Duke  of 
Clarence  and  Prince  Edward,  afterwards  Duke  of  Kent. 

The  Grand  Lodge  of  England  authorized  him  to  construct  a  new 
code  of  lectures,  a  careful  revision  of  the  existing  ritual  and  a  collation 
of  all  ancient  formulas.  Thus  he  was  a  reformer,  or  at  least  a  remodeller 
of  the  system  of  lectures.  He  amplified  the  system  of  Martin  Clare  by 
the  addition  of  much  new  symbolism  and  the  improvement  of  that  in¬ 
troduced  by  his  predecessor.  He  is  said  by  Oliver  often  to  have  visited 
the  lodges  of  the  “Ancients”  to  ascertain  what  were  the  essential  dif¬ 
ferences  between  the  two  systems,  and  of  that  which  was  good  he  culled 
the  best  and  transplanted  it  into  the  workings  of  the  legitimate  Grand 
Lodge. 

The  results  are  felt  even  in  the  ritual  of  the  present  day.  The 
most  important  was  that  which  affected  the  third  degree.  Dunckerley 
reconstructed  the  Royal  Arch  of  Dermott  and  introduced  it  into  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  England.  By  this  innovation  the  third  degree  was 
made  incomplete  and  required  to  be  supplemented  by  a  higher  one, 
which  should  supply  its  deficiency.  The  Master’s  degree,  as  now  given 
in  England  and  America,  is  indebted  for  its  present  organization  to  the 

labors  of  Dunckerley.  It  might,  indeed,  be  called  Dunckerley’s  degree. 
He  also  introduced  some  new  symbols — the  “lines  parallel”  and  the 
“theological  ladder.”  His  most  effective  labors  were  almost  altogether 
esoteric  and  his  instructions  oral  and  his  industry  in  this  way  seems  to 
have  been  indefatigable  and  his  influence  extensive. 

In  a  Later  Form 

(Supposed  to  be  Poetry!) 

“If  you  are  a  Master  Mason,  as  I  suppose  you  be, 

You  cannot  fail  to  understand  the  rule  of  three/  ’ 

The  rule  of  three  I  understand, 

For  the  key  of  this  Lodge  is  at  my  command. 

The  name  shall  make  you  free, 

And  what  you  want  in  Masonry  shall  be  made  known  to  thee. 
Good  Masonry  I  understand, 

For  the  keys  of  all  lodges  are  at  my  command. 

You  speak  boldly.  From  whence  come  you? 

From  the  east. 


24 


Preston’s* 

Three  sections  of  seven  questions  each : 

First  Section 

1.  Whither  are  you  bound? 

2.  Are  you  a  Mason? 

3.  How  do  you  know  that  ? 

4.  How  will  you  prove  it  to  me  ? 

5.  Where  were  you  made  a  Mason? 

6.  When  were  you  made  a  Mason? 

7.  By  whom  were  you  made  a  Mason  ? 

Second  Section 

1.  Prom  whence  come  you? 

2.  What  recommendation  do  you  bring? 

3.  Any  other  recommendation? 

4.  Where  are  the  secrets  of  Masonry  kept  ? 

5.  To  whom  do  you  deliver  them  ? 

6.  How  do  you  deliver  them? 

7.  In  what  manner  do  you  serve  your  Master  ? 

Third  Section 

1.  What  is  your  name  ? 

2.  What  is  the  name  of  your  son? 

3.  If  a  Brother  were  lost  where  should  you  expect  to  find  him  ? 

4.  How  should  you  expect  him  to  be  clothed? 

5.  How  blows  a  Mason’s  Wind? 

6.  Why  does  it  blow  thus? 

7.  What  time  is  it  ? 

» 

*  William  Preston 

William  Preston  was  born  at  Edinburgh,  7th  August,  1742.  He  was 
carefully  educated  and  made  considerable  progress  in  Latin,  with  the 
rudiments  of  Greek,  but  on  his  father’s  death  left  college  and  became 
secretary  to  a  celebrated  linguist,  Mr.  Thomas  Ruddiman.  After  his 
patron’s  death,  Preston  had  a  year’s  experience  in  a  printing  office,  but 
his  inclinations  leading  to  literary  pursuits  he  went  to  London  in  1760, 
where  he  entered  the  service  of  William  Strahan,  the  King’s  printer, 
with  whom  and  his  son  and  successor,  he  remained  for  the  best  years 
of  his  life,  correcting  for  the  press,  editing  the  “London  Chronicle”  and 
contributing  to  various  periodical  publications.  He  enjoyed  the  ac¬ 
quaintance  of  Gibbon,  Hume,  and  many  other  distinguished  authors. 


25 


His  principal  fame  Is  as  a  distinguished  teacher  of  the  Masonic  ritual 
and  as  the  founder  of  a  system  of  lectures  which  still  retain  their  in¬ 
fluence.  Soon  after  his  arrival  in  London  he  joined  a  lodge  under  dis¬ 
pensation  from  the  Ancient  Lodge  of  London,  being  the  second  person 
initiated.  This  wras  in  1762,  and  the  work  w*as  under  the  Dermott  system, 
but  Preston  later  went  over  to  the  legitimate  Grand  Lodge,  with  the  rest 
of  the  Lodge,  forming  The  Caledonian  Lodge.  While  serving  as  Master 
he  began  his  researches,  informing  himself  fully  and  becoming  a  thor¬ 
ough  master  indeed. 

He  conducted  a  literary  correspondence  with  the  most  experienced 
Masons  at  home  and  abroad  and  made  great  progress  in  the  mysteries. 
He  was  heard  to  say  that  in  the  ardor  of  his  inquiries  he  had  explored 
the  abodes  of  poverty  and  wretchedness,  and,  where  it  might  have  been 
least  expected,  acquired  very  valuable  scraps  of  information.  The  poor 
brother,  in  return,  we  are  assured,  had  no  cause  to  think  his  time  or 
talents  ill  bestowed.  He  was  also  accustomed  to  convene  his  friends 
once  or  twice  a  week  in  order  to  illustrate  the  lectures,  where  discus¬ 
sions  for  mutual  improvement  took  place.  In  1772  he  delivered  an  ora¬ 
tion  before  the  Grand  Officers  and  many  brethren,  published  by  him  in 
the  first  edition  of  his  work,  “Illustrations  of  Masonry,”  the  same  year. 

He  arranged  and  digested  the  lectures,  employing  skilful  brethren 
to  visit  different  town  and  county  Lodges  to  gain  information,  com¬ 
municating  the  results  at  weekly  meetings.  In  1774  he  delivered  a 
course  of  lectures  on  all  the  degrees  of  Masonry  and  for  some  years 
afterwards  attended  schools  of  instruction  and  other  meetings  to  propa¬ 
gate  knowledge  of  the  science.  He  became  a  member  of  many  lodges 
and  stimulated  great  increase  of  interest  in  work  and  among  eminent 
men.  For  some  years  he  was  Master  of  the  Lodge  of  Antiquity,  No.  1, 
at  the  Mitre  Tavern  in  Fleet  Street,  also  for  over  six  years  Master  of 
the  Philanthropic  Lodge  at  the  Queen’s  Head,  Gray’s-inn-gate,  Holborn, 
and  of  several  other  lodges.  He  became  an  active  member  of  the  Grand 
Lodge,  where  he  arranged  the  general  regulations  and  revived  the  for¬ 
eign  and  country  correspondence.  He  was  appointed  Deputy  Grand  Sec¬ 
retary,  and  engaged  in  much  publication  and  correspondence.  From 
this  work  he  formed  his  history  of  Masonry,  afterwards  printed  in  his 
“Illustrations.” 

In  1779,  he  took  the  part  of  the  Lodge  of  Antiquity  in  a  dispute  with 
the  Grand  Lodge  and  was  expelled  from  the  latter.  Ten  years  later,  on 
a  re-investigation  of  the  subject  in  dispute,  he  and  the  other  members 
of  the  Lodge  were  reinstated  by  the  Grand  Lodge.  During  this  period 
he  ceased  Masonic  activities,  devoting  himself  to  other  literary  pursuits. 
The  trouble  arose  over  a  procession  of  the  lodge  to  a  church  on  St. 
John’s  day,  the  Grand  Lodge  denying  and  Preston  asserting  its  right  so 
to  do.  The  Lodge  of  Antiquity  withdrew  from  the  Grand  Lodge  and 
joined  that  at  York,  and  Preston  withdrew  from  all  share  in  Masonic 
concerns. 


26 


He  resumed  his  labors  on  his  restoration  and  died  1st  April,  1818, 
and  is  buried  in  St.  Paul’s  Cathedral. 

Used  by  Continental  Masons 
From  whence  come  yon? 

From  the  just  and  perfect  Lodge  of  St.  John,  the  Blazing  Star 
of  the  East. 

(The  Order  of  St.  John  is  recognized  as  the  most  ancient 
system  of  Freemasonry  ever  known,  and  for  that  reason 
ought  to  be  esteemed  as  the  only  true  and  primitive  rite. 
And  the  Blazing  Star  is  commemorative  of  that  bright 
and  luminous  appearance  in  the  heavens,  which  directed 
the  Wise  Men  of  the  East  to  Bethlehem  in  Judea  to  inquire 
for  the  newly  born  Deliverer  of  Mankind.) 

What  brought  you  here? 

A  greeting  from  the  Master,  Brothers  and  Fellows. 

What  do  you  seek  ? 

To  govern  my  passions,  and  to  make  due  progress  in  the  study 
of  Masonry. 

At  your  preparation  what  questions  were  you  asked? 

They  were  three  in  number,  viz.,  my  age,  my  position  in  life, 
and  my  religion. 

Where  did  you  travel? 

I  traveled  three  times  from  West  to  East  by  the  North,  and 
from  East  to  West  by  the  South. 

For  what  purpose? 

To  seek  the  Light. 

Bro.  Senior  Warden,  from  whence  came  you? 

From  the  West. 

Whither  are  you  directing  your  course  ? 

To  the  East. 

What  is  your  object  ? 

To  seek  a  Master,  &c. 

In  an  Old  French  Ritual — 1740 

“How  do  the  apprentices  and  fellowcrafts  travel? 

From  West  to  East. 

(By  which  they  signified  that  the  candidate  entered  by  the 


27 


West  door,  and  advanced  three  times  towards  the  East;  or 
in  other  words,  towards  the  Master  of  the  Lodge;  the  first 
time  being  to  the  Square,  the  second  from  the  Square  to  the 
letter  “G,”  and  the  third  time  from  thence  to  the 
Compasses. 

“Why  so? 

To  seek  the  light. 

How  do  Master  Masons  travel? 

From  the  East  to  the  West. 

Why  so? 

To  disseminate  light  to  the  others. 

In  French  Ritual 

What  is  the  most  powerful  name  of  God  which  was  enclosed  in  the 
seal  of  Solomon? 

Adonai. 

IIow  may  this  word  be  used  ? 

To  put  the  universe  in  motion.  And  he  who  can  attain  the 
correct  pronunciation  will  not  only  have  power  over  the  four 
elements  but  also  possess  all  human  Virtues. 

In  a  Late  Form 

How  are  the  three  lights  situated  ? 

Due  East,  West  and  North. 

To  what  purpose? 

Not  only  to  show  the  due  course  of  the  sun,  which  rises  in  the 
East,  gains  its  meridian  in  the  South  and  declension  in  the 
West,  but  also  to  light  the  men  to,  at  and  from  their  labour. 

In  Other  Form 

In  what  position  ought  the  three  lights  of  the  Lodge  to  be  placed  ? 

East,  North  and  South. 

Why  so? 

For  a  reason  that  is  universal,  which  dates  its  origin  in  the 
Masonic  sense  from  the  building  of  King  Solomon’s  Temple, 
and  in  a  natural  sense  is  coeval  with  the  creation  of  the  world. 
I’ll  thank  you  to  explain  yourself  more  clearly. 

To  prevent  the  Jews  from  practising  the  idolatrous  rites  of 


V 


28 

heathen  nations,  King  Solomon  wisely  placed  the  chief  en¬ 
trance  into  the  Temple  in  the  East,  North,  and  South,  for  as 
the  west  side  had  no  aperture,  the  rays  of  the  sun  could  not 
penetrate  that  quarter;  and  therefore  the  Jews  worshipped 
with  their  faces  towards  the  West;  they  could  not  pay  their 
vows  to  that  luminary  because  it  was  hidden  from  their  view 
by  the  dark  side  of  the  Temple. 

Points 

In  addition  to  the  geometrical  point,  we  have  a  great  variety 
of  other  points,  as  for  instance  : 

The  first  point 
The  cardinal  points 
Points  of  entrance 

1st  point — Opening.  Reuben,  first  born. 

2nd  point — Preparation.  Simeon. 

3rd  point — Reporting.  Levi. 

4th  point — Entering.  Judah. 

5th  point — Prayer.  Zebulun. 

6th  point — Circumambulation.  Issachar. 

7th  point — Advance  from  West  to  East.  Dan. 

8th  point — Obligation.  Gad. 

9th  point — Intrusting  with  signs.  Asshur. 

10th  point — Investiture.  Naphtali. 

11th  point — Placed  N.  E.  corner.  Joseph. 

12th  point — Closing.  Benjamin  because  he  closed  the 

womb  of  his  mother  being  last. 

The  points,  parts  and  secrets  of  the  Order. 

The  Master’s  point. 

The  Warden’s  point. 

The  chief  point. 

The  principal  point. 

The  right  point. 

The  original  and  standing  points. 

The  traditional  point. 

The  proper  points. 

The  five  points  of  fellowship. 

The  point  within  a  circle,  &c. 


, 


: 


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Bapst  Library 

Boston  College 
Chestnut  Hill,  Mass.  02167 


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